Former Executive Mansion Chief of Protocol Nora Finda Bondoo has been ordered jailed at the Monrovia Central Prison after Criminal Court “C” rejected a newly filed criminal appearance bond and ruled that the surety property offered as security was legally insufficient.
The latest ruling comes only weeks after the court disqualified Bondoo’s initial bond and granted her legal team 72 hours to submit a new and legally acceptable criminal appearance bond.
In its July 3 ruling, the court disqualified the first set of sureties after finding that one surety, Cllr. Abraham W. Simpson, could not legally serve as both Bondoo’s lawyer and surety. The court also found that another surety, Fayiah Falambo, was himself an indictee in the same criminal case. As a result, the defense was ordered to file a replacement bond within three days.
Seeking to comply with the order, Bondoo’s lawyers submitted a new criminal appearance bond backed by two sureties, Kai Garlo Farley and John Moses Gbetee.
However, following objections raised by the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (AREPT) and the Ministry of Justice, the court determined that Gbetee’s property, valued at approximately US$350,000, had already been pledged as security in nearly 20 separate court cases. According to the court, the property was tied to existing bond obligations totaling about US$2.426 million—far exceeding its stated value.
The court further noted that the combined value of the properties offered by the two new sureties, estimated at US$590,000, fell significantly short of the amount involved in the indictment.
Presiding Judge Ousman F. Feika ruled that accepting the property as security would violate Liberia’s Civil Procedure Law because it was already heavily encumbered and could not adequately secure the bond.
Given the seriousness of the allegations, the court set Bondoo’s bail threshold at US$8 million, citing provisions of Liberia’s Criminal Procedure Law governing bail in major financial crime cases.
Based on those findings, Judge Feika disqualified the new bond, ordered Bondoo’s immediate rearrest, and instructed the court sheriff to take her into custody if she was present in court. If outside the court’s jurisdiction, the judge directed the Clerk of Court to issue a writ of arrest for her detention at the Monrovia Central Prison pending the filing and approval of a valid bond.
Bondoo is among several defendants indicted in connection with allegations involving more than US$6.7 million and L$845 million in public funds allegedly diverted through companies linked to the case.
She faces multiple felony charges, including money laundering, theft of property, misuse of public funds, criminal conspiracy, forgery, criminal facilitation, and related offenses.
Bondoo has denied all allegations and remains presumed innocent under Liberian law unless and until proven guilty in a court of competent jurisdiction.
The ruling represents a dramatic setback for the former protocol chief, who once held a prominent position at the Executive Mansion, coordinating state functions and hosting foreign dignitaries on behalf of the Liberian government.
Defense lawyers immediately noted exceptions to the ruling, preserving their right to seek appellate review.
Bondoo will remain at the Monrovia Central Prison unless a legally sufficient bond is approved or the court orders otherwise.
